Alright, send in a review or leave in a favorite/follow if you are liking the story so far!
The darkness was mostly dominating the room, as the lights of various monitors were barely beaming the figures who were standing in front of them.
The monitors themselves were transmitting Greta's face, as she was lifting her left arm and sticking out her tongue for a moment.
"Are ya ready for da biiiig question?!" She nodded on her own.
"Greta, can you repeat that question properly...?" The voice of a man was coming from the room.
"Do I need to do that?" On the monitors, the woman was staring back from it.
"Yes. That way the audience can understand you without any problems...!" No reaction happened in that room at all! "With that accent, I believe it might trick the audience into thinking you said something for something completely different."
"Nah!" Greta shrugged visibly. "There is no way it would do that!"
"Greta, this is important... we need to be perfect in this particular phase."
"But guys, I know what the audience looks like, ok?" Greta opened her arms widely, almost starting to walk around her position. "They aren't overseas Squids who need to look over the dictionary for each word I say...!"
"Besides, I was appreciating that small side of hers..." A woman's voice spoke from the darkness.
"You did?"
"Yes, I did. Greta should be allowed to have something more unique about herself..."
"Hmm... I don't know... to me it felt like she could be easily mistook..."
"You still understood her, right?"
"Well, yeah... kinda..."
"You can't be seriously suggesting"
"She said if the audience was ready for the big question! Th-that's all she said in that moment!"
"Yes! Doesn't this make our show look younger too? The adults watching this show were young Squids in the past...!"
"This would give them a reason to connect themselves with our show." Another man's voice rose from the darkness. "I would let Greta keep this type of speech... I think it's time she does."
"... Mirii, do you have anything to say about this?"
"... I agree with the others." Her different voice emerged. "Greta's particularity can help the show greatly..."
"Huh... you sound different..."
"My throat is slightly in pain... this is why I'm producing such voice."
"It sounds better than your regular voice." The woman giggled.
"R-really...?!"
"This type of voice is perfect for singing most of the songs... if you managed to refine your voice, I would had considered the potential career of a singer...!"
"G-gah...! I..."
"In any case, continue your presentations, Greta!"
"Aaaaalrighty!" Greta closed her right eye, as she stuck out her tongue and brought her V-sign on her closing eye.
The girl resumed her speech, along with her gestures.
"... I don't even know how I managed to achieve such voice... ... it all happened inside Hunley's room... how many times I must think of this? What did I do in order to obtain such wonderful result...? ... the only possible solution might be related to the same moment where I saw Silin during that flash sequence... ... and right after that moment, of course. It can easily be both... ... sigh... speaking of Silin... I hope that the Shrine can help us in time: Mrs. Bubblepop will eventually know about Silin's disappearance, if she is not found... and she will not be happy about it. What are we gonna do about it...? What we should do...? ... if only I had the time to investigate this intricate situation, instead of being forced to participate in this show... ... Hunley shouldn't be worried about it, considering his memory condition... at least the recordings will continue without any interruptions... ... I must think more about those details! I feel there is the answer I'm looking for in those...! Th-there must be!"
Visible completely as an essence lit by her own, Silin was sitting next to Fara with her hands grabbing her cheeks.
"... any ideas, Fara?" The little girl sighed. "I don't know what to do..."
Mirii must be thinking about it as well...
"Duh..." Her eyes closed. "... can you talk to her or something...?"
I tried, but I cannot do that anymore...
"Didn't ya said that you can talk with the other Squids under their wishes...?" Silin tilted her head, while frowning a bit.
I did... but Mirii is not wishing to talk with me, as she wouldn't have much of a reason... besides, I can't even feel that type of power I had before. I think I overestimated myself... perhaps, my evolution made me lost a power I previously own...
"Oh, the irony..." Silin reopened her eyes. "At least it's cool we can follow her around and even become fluorescent or something."
... maybe if I turn Mirii fluorescent as well, it could count as making her closer to us...?
"That's a wild guess." Silin brought her hands on the wall, as her head rested on them. "Can you even do it?"
I don't know... I could try, though.
"If you want, sure..." She semi-closed her eyes, almost feeling her eyelids heavy.
Yes, let me try.
The glowing woman pointed her hands towards Mirii... suddenly, Silin's eyes grew.
"NO, WAIT!"
Mirii popped out from the darkness, as she was seen sitting with her hands on her legs.
"CHANGE HER BACK!" Silin stood up, looking back at Fara.
Why?
"She is not supposed to look like a lamp!"
"Mirii?!"
...
Silin's face went paler...
"Uhm?" Mirii's head pointed over the source of the voice.
"Wh-what's wrong with you?!"
"... eh?" Her head tilted- "Eeeek?!" She bounced off her seat.
"What happened to her?!"
"She turned into a living torchlight!"
All the sudden, Mirii faded into obscurity.
"What's going on over there?!" Greta stared at the monitor, while frowning. "Hey!"
...
"... heeeelloooo...?" Greta's eyelids lowered to the middle. "Oh, great... we got some darn technical problems with the direction..."
"You turned into WHAT?!"
Mirii was sitting on the sofa, looking at Greta who was standing on her feet. Hun was sitting next to her, with his eyebrows up and his hands down on the middle.
"It happened all the sudden..." A vein popped out from Mirii's forehead. "And now the staff is doing nothing but talking about it..."
"They want to check on ya, huh?!" Greta twisted behind, slamming her sides with her hands. "The perfect, turfing situation we want in such times!"
"Like, that ship sounds like something coming from the Shrine..." Carlson gave a bite over a chocolate bar, while he was leaning against the wall.
"We all know that, bright boy!" Greta rolled her eyes.
"... grrr..." Mirii's right hand went over her forehead. "Who is playing pranks on me...?!"
"Wait a second!" Hun frowned at Carlson. "The Shrine would never do that!"
"Yeah, we know." Greta nodded, as she directed herself towards the chair next to the desk. "That stupid Demon Squid is playing dirty cards on poor Mirii... or whatever that thing is."
"... our villa is not well-secured enough, Hunley..." Mirii's head rose, as she frowned and brought her posture on the backrest. "You must report such problem over the Shrine."
"I'm sure there were Shrine citizens watching us this whole time..." Hun's mouth downturned and his eyebrows rose, while he was staring at Mirii. "... and even now."
"Like Kelly?" Greta chuckled, as she now sit on the chair near the desk. "That shorty always pops out of nowhere"
"Tee hee hee!" Kelly popped out from Greta's left side with her arms open, her eyes closed and her arms wide open.
"Eeeehh?!" Greta jumped forward, rolling in the same direction and twisting behind once she halted.
"Heeelllooooooo!" Kelly walked in place, performing an improvised dance.
"Why do you always have to appear out of nowhere?!" Mirii stood up, scowling and throwing icy darts over Kelly. "You can greet us before you materialize!"
"But Greta was mentioning how I'm so good at appearing...!" Kelly giggled, as she now stood in place.
"I was mentioning a habit of yours, not praising it." Greta stood up, also frowning. "Besides, this isn't the time to joke and laugh."
"I know..." Kelly downturned her mouth. "Master Fara is still sleeping profoundly..."
"And someone is still altering my own persona!" Mirii's arms folded. "And I could almost bet my reputation, that Silin and this entity must have a connection."
"Like, almost?" Carlson rose his mouth.
"I never bet on anything, Carlson..." Mirii snorted, as her head rose. "You should know better than this."
"... I guess?" The tallest boy shrugged.
"Kelly, can you find this Demon Squid who is disturbing Mirii and keeping Silin away from us?" Hun bended himself forward, as his elbows rested on his legs and his eyes looked intensively at the shortest girl.
"But Master Hun... there is none!" Kelly shook her head, expressing her downturned mouth. "There is only me, right now... and even back in the villa, there wasn't anyone around."
"The Shrine citizens living in our villa, are still looking for Silin...?" Mirii sit back on the sofa, relaxing her muscles.
"Yes..." Kelly also rose her eyebrows, thinking about Silin. "That poor girl is like... ... all alone..."
"I'm not alone! I'm right heeeeerreee!"
Silin had tears on her eyes, as she was waving her arms in front of the Shrine girl. The glowing woman was sitting in thin air, showing a sad expression on her face.
... is the Shrine doing something about Fara...? I keep asking that to myself...
"Why not asking how I'm supposed to get out of here?!" Silin fell on her knees, as her hands rubbed her eyes.
Maybe you have the power all along...
"Oh yeah?!" Silin threw both her arms and her patience. "And what that would be?! Creating a darn door or something?!"
"Sniff, sniff..."
Silin opened her mouth, noticing the source of those sobs...
"... eh?!" She stood up in a jiffy.
Kelly was crying out of control, as Greta moved near her right side, holding her shoulders.
"What's going on?! Hey!" Her irises shrunk in shock. "Kelly!"
"Why is she crying?!" Mirii sprung off her seat, this time with the intention of reaching the duo.
"I-I don't knoooooowww!" Kelly sobbed, as she hugged Greta. "Buuaaaaaahh!"
"The Demon Squid is at it again!" Hun was already on his feet, stomping the floor in rage. "Darn it!"
Silin was watching from the distant, as her eyes ceased producing tears... she rubbed them one more time.
"... this is my power, huh..."